June 15, 2018
There are many types of housing discrimination; some occurs when a house hunter is searching for a home, trying to rent in the local area and encountering violations of the Fair Housing Act while trying to do so. Other types of housing discrimination can occur in the house hunting process itself.
Housing discrimination may come from a variety of sources; including, in the case of a recent HUD Fair Housing settlement, real estate firms. The HUD official site announced a settlement in June in the case of two San Francisco-based real estate companies accused of Fair Housing Act violations.
HUD approved “a Voluntary Compliance/Conciliation Agreement settling a complaint filed by a family whose infant has a disability against San Francisco, California-based John Stewart Company and Hunters Point East West, LP.”
This complaint involved the real estate companies’ alleged refusal to provide a reasonable accommodation by refusing the family’s request to be moved to a non-smoking unit due to concerns over the infant’s disabilities.
Fair Housing Act regulations prohibit a real estate company or other housing providers from “denying or limiting housing to persons with disabilities, or from refusing to make reasonable accommodations in policies or practices for persons with disabilities.”
HUD was alerted to the situation following a Fair Housing complaint stating that the real estate company (which manages the property via a HUD rental assistance program) refused to make the reasonable accommodation.
“A smoke-free environment can make a world of difference to a family whose child has a disability that limits their breathing,” said HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Anna María Farías, who was quoted on the HUD official site in a press release. “Reaching a mutually agreeable settlement of the case is a ‘win-win’ for everyone involved.”
The result of the settlement includes an agreement that the John Stewart Company will pay $12,000 to the family in compensation, and develop grievance procedures compliant with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Fair Housing Act rules make it illegal to discriminate against those seeking housing or who currently occupy housing on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status.
If you have experienced housing discrimination, file a complaint by contacting HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at (800) 669-9777 (voice) or (800) 927-9275 (TTY). Housing discrimination complaints can be filed online at www.hud.gov/fairhousing.
Bruce Reichstein has spent over three decades as an experienced FHA and VA home loan mortgage banker and underwriter where he was responsible for funding “Billions” in government backed mortgage loans. He is the Managing Editor for FHANewsblog.com where he educates homeowners on the specific guidelines for obtaining FHA guaranteed home loans.
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